An .ies file describes how a luminaire distributes light in 3D space. It's the data lighting designers feed into AGi32, DIALux, and Visual to prove their designs meet code. Sage publishes .ies files for every product where they apply.
The format
An IES file (IESNA LM-63 standard) is a plain-text file containing photometric data: the candela output of a luminaire at every angle in 3D space. Header lines describe the manufacturer, lamp type, and test conditions; the data section is a long array of candela values indexed by vertical and horizontal angle.
Why specifiers need them
NFPA 101 / Life Safety Code requires specific footcandle levels along egress paths (1 fc average, 0.1 fc minimum). Lighting designers prove compliance using software (AGi32, DIALux, Visual) that REQUIRES .ies files to model the design. No .ies = the fixture cannot be specified into a compliant emergency lighting layout. It's a hard gate.
What's in a Sage .ies file
Sage publishes .ies files for 11 of the 29 V1 products — every Luminaire, every SCB Fixture, and 3 of 4 Relays. Each file includes:
- Total lumen output
- Input watts (so the design software can compute efficacy)
- Distribution type (typically Type C for indoor luminaires)
- Vertical angles array (typically 0° to 180° in 1° steps)
- Horizontal angles array (typically 0° to 360° in 15° steps)
- Candela values at every vertical/horizontal pair
Inline preview on Sage product pages
Every Sage product with .ies data has an inline Photometric Distribution viewer that renders the polar curve directly on the product page — total lumens, input watts, efficacy in lm/W, max candela, distribution type. No download needed for a quick design check. Click 'Download .ies' to grab the file for your design software.
Where the data comes from
Sage's photometric data is generated from independent IESNA LM-63 testing on the actual fixtures. All Sage IES files identify [MANUFAC] SAGE EM in the metadata, ready to import into your project library.